Talent
by Lightning Eyed
Summary: Annabeth Chase is a famous popstar. Percy Jackson is a singer's secret child. Jason likes a girl from a rival band, who Reyna hates. Thalia has a crush on a heavy metal singer. Silena is a waitress at a fancy restaurant and has a thing for Annabeth's bodyguard. The celebrity world is certainly a crazy one... Thalico & Jeyna that starts out more Jasper-y. AU. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Any songs in this story that I did not write have an MLA citation after they are used.  
****I do not own Percy Jackson.  
****This is my first Thalico story, as I am not too fond of the pairing. **

"_Talent?" Annabeth said the word like she'd never heard it before._

"_Talent," Thalia told her. "Talent like Green Day. Ever heard of it, Annabeth? Born skill? Because you have a talent for singing."_

_Annabeth hit the play button, ignored Thalia, and continued to sing along._

"_Annabeth, you could make it big," Thalia continued._

"_So could you," Annabeth told her. "I've heard your music, Thalia; have you ever heard the saying 'don't stop to pluck the splinter out of your friend's eye before you take the plank out of yours?'"_

"_You're saying we were both clueless about this?" Thalia asked, joking._

"_Precisely."_

Annabeth snapped out of the flashback and finished applying her stage makeup.

"You're on in ten," her agent, Luke, said, poking his head in the door.

"Have you had them run the sound check, light check, and set check?"

"You never let me forget." Luke grinned. "Remember your show agenda?"

Annabeth nodded. "I never forget anything, Luke."

* * *

Percy sighed and excused himself from the table. They were televising Chasing Waves' concerts again.

"Is something wrong?" his mom, Sally, asked.

_Other than the fact that I have a crush on a female pop singer who is totally out of my league? _"Nothing's wrong, Mom." _Gods, Perseus. Every guy your age wants to spend the night with Chasing Waves._

"Are you sure?" Sally glanced at the TV. "Oh, I get it. Her concert's on tonight." She passed him some blue corn chips. "Your father was famous, you know."

Percy turned around. "He was?"

"Chasing Waves' name was inspired by your father's. His stage name was Poseidon."

"I didn't know that."

"I didn't want to tell you. I figured as soon as you found out you'd want to go visit him and then you'd never escape the paparazzi."

On the TV, Chasing Waves began to sing a song Percy hadn't heard before.

_I take you back to 1969_

_Let's hit the city of freedom like old times_

_It's getting dirty underneath the blue sky_

_Imagine you and me counting the butterflies_

_1, 2, 3_

_Let's bring it on_

_Keep on dancing in the streets_

_Of love_

_French kissing on JFK Drive_

_Till we crash at the beach where we watch the sunrise_

_Tell me what you waiting for_

_We're crossing the golden gate, party at the Frisco bay_

_Wake me up in San Francisco_

_We knew the power's in your head, girl, party everywhere, girl_

_Wake me up in San Francisco_

_Where the love is in the air, all the people stop and stare_

_Baby take me back to the city of love_

_To the place that I've been dreaming of…_

[Cascada. "San Francisco." _Original Me. _2011.]

Percy was entranced until the end. "She's amazing."

"Percy…" Sally's face was contorted like she was about to cry. "Do you want to stay with your father? You might get a chance to meet her."

His face lit up like Manhattan at night. "Of course!"

Sally smiled. "Don't get run over by paparazzi."

* * *

Annabeth finished her newest song, which she and her songwriter Will had finished writing last night. She was especially glad that one of her bodyguards, Charles Beckendorf, who everyone just called Beckendorf because he hated his first name, could sing and was able to fill in backup after Annabeth's normal backup, Leo, had joined Diamond's musical group. She still couldn't place why he would want to go sing with a girl band, although she really couldn't send her hate to Piper or Hazel.

The cheering crowd brought Annabeth back to reality. She continued her concert. She couldn't just leave them hanging. As she launched into an old hit, the crowd cheered even louder.

* * *

Reyna sneaked another glance at Jason. He was busy in scribbling down lyrics for their next song, Fly Away. She rebooted her synthesizer and attempted to work out a tune for the first few lines.

"Rey, what's up?" Jason asked her, sliding over another verse of lyrics.

"Jason…" She decided this was a good time to get this out. "I know you were drunk, but you're my boyfriend and my musical partner, and it bothers me that you said those things to Piper. She's from Diamond, Jason, and they're our biggest musical rivals."

"While I'm glad you finally came out and said that," Jason said, "Piper is my friend, Rey. This isn't just an attempt to get at Diamond's music. I first met Piper before they were ever a musical group. I was on a trip with Thalia."

Reyna tried to conceal her… annoyance? Anger? Reyna didn't know what she was feeling. Maybe this was how it felt to be thrown into the friend zone, but Reyna really hoped he wouldn't do that to her. She just wished he'd get over his Piper phase and focus on their relationship for once. They were hitting it off when he returned from that trip and announced he'd met another girl. It just wasn't fair. Jason handed Reyna the last of the song and left the room, soon replaced by his sister Thalia.

"Trouble with him?" Thalia asked.

"No, I'm fine. Really."

"Even I can tell that he's got an extreme crush on Piper at the moment," Thalia told Reyna. "I know it probably bothers you, but his loyalties will always lie with you, whether his heart does or not."

"Is this why you told the media you'd never get a boyfriend?" Reyna asked.

"Precisely. But, you know, a girl can't stick to the word 'never' forever…"

* * *

Annabeth collapsed in her chair and ripped off her microphone. "Suppose 'San Francisco' will sweep the top charts?"

"Every song you've written has," Luke told her. "You're just a woman of every's, aren't you?"

Annabeth smiled. "You flatter me. Stop it."

"Annie!" Piper squealed from the doorway. "That song is brilliant! You just poured inspiration into it! Leo admitted he misses singing with you already since hearing your _bodyguard _sing the backup part! Even Hazel called it 'good!'"

Annabeth sighed, rose from her chair, and air-kissed Piper. "You guys haven't written anything new in awhile."

"Our new album is set to release next month," Piper said. "It's a surprise- no early releases and no sneak peeks."

"Miss Chase," Luke said, "your carriage awaits. Piper, meet us at the restaurant later. And has anyone seen Thalia?"

"She went to talk to her brother, I think," Annabeth noted. "She'll meet us at the restaurant as well."

* * *

Sally hung up the phone. "He's in New York today. It works out perfectly. He's visiting his agent's office at the Empire State Building. Are you ready to go?"

Percy picked up his duffel bag. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Ready to go where?" asked Percy's stepdad, Gabe, as he slammed the living room door on his poker buddies.

"Percy's going to stay with his father," Sally told Gabe. "I apologize if we interrupted your game."

Gabe snorted and returned to the living room. "I swear, as soon as I get the divorce papers…" Sally muttered.

"I approve," Percy said.

Sally laughed and opened the front door. "Shall we get going, then?"

Percy smiled at his mother. "Yup."

* * *

Thalia excused herself from her seat next to Reyna. "I've got a dinner with Annabeth tonight," she said, being careful not to mention Piper and her band. "I have to dress up, call her, and finish writing my newest song."

Reyna nodded. "Alright, then. I've got a song to finish as well. See you soon?"

Thalia smiled. "Naturally."

Reyna clicked her mechanical pencil up and wrote down the first few notes on her music staff. Jason returned from wherever he had been for the last twenty minutes.

"Song ready yet?"

"Actually, I've been talking to your older sister."

Jason frowned. "You haven't come up with anything in twenty minutes."

Reyna corrected him by playing the first verse. "I've gotten this far." She sang along with it, thinking of the irony of the lyrics.

"_I thought we were friends to the end,_

_The day I first met you._

_We wouldn't need to mend 'cause we're never gonna bend_

_But that proved to be the opposite of true."_

Jason nodded. "I approve."

"Good," Reyna said, "because lately you seem to approve of Piper and only Piper."

Why had she let that slip? Reyna nearly slapped herself.

"Rey, it's not like that," Jason told her. "I told you, Piper is my friend. As long as she stays in the friend zone, you don't need to worry about her."

"And what about Thalia? She said she could tell you like Piper."

"She's my sister," Jason told Reyna. "She's just paranoid for my safety. You know how she never wants a boyfriend."

"About that." Reyna told Jason. "She said something about 'a girl can't stick to the word never forever.' Do you have any idea what she meant by that?"

"I think," Jason said to Reyna, "that my sister might have a little crush on the lead singer of Planet of Angels."


	2. Chapter 2

**Five reviews already? None of my stories have ever taken off like this. EVER. Thank you guys so much.  
The disclaimer is on Chapter 1.  
I'm putting another element in this- a Nico versus Annabeth hate story.**

Thalia studied the paper, and then erased a line and a half. If she was going to be a one-hit wonder, it needed to be a good hit. She carefully tuned her guitar and sang the first few lines, not quite sure where it was going.

_Been working overtime_

_And getting sick of these crazy games_

_I'll be a satellite_

_And wait for someone to enter my gaze._

_I see you like a star in the sky_

_And I love it, There's a light in your eyes_

_And I wonder, When you look in mine_

_Do you see them_

_Like a star in the sky?_

[Britt Nicole. "Like A Star." _The Lost Get Found. _2009.]

Fueled by her rush of inspiration, she quickly scribbled down the rest of the song. She didn't even realize who it was for. Because… because…

Thalia Grace had written a sort of love song.

* * *

"Come in," the voice said when Sally knocked on the door. She entered the spacious office, Percy right behind her. "Sally?"

She nodded. "Nice to see you."

"What are you doing here?"

"Percy wants to stay with you."

* * *

"Oh my _gods,_" Piper ranted as she and Annabeth pushed through the crowd of paparazzi. "You look amazing today, Annie."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Are you being a suck-up or what?" she joked. "Just kidding. You look amazing too."

Upon entering the restaurant, Piper and Annabeth could already see Hazel, Leo, Clarisse, and Silena, the other members of Diamond, seated at one of the tables in the private banquet room. Piper joined her band after air-kissing every one of them. Annabeth took her seat at the other table, next to Luke. Thalia arrived a few minutes later with her brother and his bandmate Reyna in tow.

Reyna irritated Annabeth. It seemed to Annabeth that every time she tried for something, wanted something… Reyna always got it first. Not that Annabeth wanted Jason in her band, she just couldn't help feeling jealous.

"Evening, Reyna," she said, coolly. "Jason."

"Gods, what's her problem?" Reyna whispered to Jason.

"Probably jealous," Jason answered as the two of them sat across the table. Reyna took the farthest possible seat from Annabeth. Thalia, on the other hand, sat next to Annabeth and slipped a piece of notebook paper under her fork. Annabeth unfolded it to reveal a song- an ingenious song- a love song. She looked skeptically at Thalia.

"What do you think?" Thalia prompted.

"It's a love song."

"So?"

"Love songs aren't your thing."

"They are now," Thalia said, snatching the paper back. "This song, this will turn me from 'Jason's sister' to 'Elektra Grace.'"

"I suppose I did say you had talent all those years ago."

Jason knew what Thalia had in mind, though. After what Reyna had said earlier, he could practically see the third and unspoken title floating through her brain.

'Nico di Angelo's soul mate.'

* * *

Silena nearly broke her heel when she saw _Piper _in the restaurant. Piper McLean, Diamond's head girl.

_Oh gods, why? _She thought. She shook her head.

"Silena," a tall African-American guy in an expensive suit read off her nametag. "We'll need menus over in the banquet room."

"Oh my gods," she said, collecting several menus from the stack. "You're Chasing Waves' bodyguard. The one who sang backup at her concert."

He nodded. "That's me. But you can call me Beckendorf."

Silena smiled. "I like that. A lot."

"Just as much as I like 'Silena.'" He slid off his wraparound shades and hung them from his pocket. "Chop chop with the menus. Never irritate a pop star, especially not Annabeth. She can get moody."

Silena nodded and followed him to the banquet room, setting down menus in front of each person. "I'm Silena Beauregard; I will be your server tonight. I'll be here if you need me. Are you ready for beverages?"

"Not quite," Chasing Waves said.

Beckendorf winked at Silena.

* * *

As Sally left the office, leaving Percy and the father he had never met to socialize, he could see Chasing Waves' limousine, ant-like on the street far below. He watched her, the lead singer of Diamond, and several bodyguards enter a restaurant.

"Any ideas where you want to go to?" Poseidon asked, scaring the crap out of Percy.

"Not really…" he stuttered.

"I've got a nice place in mind. It's right across the street, in fact."

Percy fought hard to keep his composure.

He would be _in the same restaurant _as Chasing Waves.

_Holy thunderbolts._

* * *

Silena finished taking the party's orders and flounced off to the kitchen. Beckendorf smiled as she passed him. Annabeth got up from her table and rushed off to the bathroom to fix her makeup. Piper whispered to Hazel. The chilly breeze blew in as the door opened in front. Annabeth didn't see the people standing in it as very significant, just a man in a well-tailored suit and a boy who looked like his son. She walked as fast as one can in heels to the bathroom and pulled it open, setting her clutch at a sink and pulling out her makeup.

* * *

Reyna spit a wad of gum into its wrapper and set it by her water glass. Jason made a face.

"Was that really necessary?" he grumbled.

"I will chew gum if I want to chew gum." She was distracted by Leo tipping over a wineglass and breaking it at the other table. She rolled her eyes.

"Just don't be a drama queen," Jason said. "Maybe I will let Piper into my heart."

_That_ shut Reyna up. She pursed her lips as if she'd eaten something sour and reached for her lipgloss.

He wouldn't really do that…

Would he?

* * *

Annabeth swiped the mascara wand over her lashes one last time and slipped all her makeup into her clutch. As she left the bathroom, she tripped on the doorjamb and dropped it. She regained her balance and was just crouching to retrieve her clutch when the boy she had seen walking into the restaurant earlier held it out for her.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows and took her clutch. As she hurried back to the table, she should have been thinking about how embarrassing that trip and fall was, but she could only think about those eyes…

That boy was cute, she decided. Very cute.

* * *

Percy did not give a single crap until he realized who the girl was.

_Her. _Chasing Waves.

Neither of them had even spoken a word. Percy had just given her back her clutch and she had raised her eyebrows at him and left. At least he hadn't done something totally embarrassing, like go, "Um uh gah."

Still, he almost slapped himself. Why didn't he talk to her?

Scumbag ADHD. Percy Jackson's two-year-old-maturity-level brain had not recognized his celebrity crush until two minutes later.

At least Poseidon didn't notice Percy's expression, and they ate their dinner in peace until she walked up to their table.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier," she said. "I should have thanked you, at least. I'm Annabeth Chase."

"Percy Jackson," Percy said. "Pleased to meet you. Can I have your autograph?"

_Stupid Percy! That's just as bad as 'um uh gah!'_

She smiled. "Sure." She pulled out a silver Sharpie and an index card and autographed it, then left and returned to her table.

Percy stared at the card, relishing the way she underlined her name with a swishy line. At least he had her autograph.

Poseidon smiled. "That girl…"

"My celebrity crush," Percy admitted.

"Chasing Waves, isn't she."

"Yes." Percy cut off a piece of his steak.

"I remember when she was a little girl with her parents asking me for my autograph."

Percy suppressed a laugh. "Mom said you inspired her stage name."

"That I did."

Percy ate the piece of steak that he had cut off and whispered, "It's too bad I'll probably never see her again."

* * *

Silena set down the celebrity party's orders. "Who ordered the crab?"

"Me," Thalia said. "I love seafood."

"How come?" Reyna asked her.

"I'm eating all the little things that live in the ocean," Thalia said evilly.

Jason gave a derisive snort. "You are an interesting case."

"You're forgetting that I'm your older sister and I can make your life a living hell."

Thalia was distracted by the buzzing of her phone. The text was from Will. Thalia had had him review her lyrics. The message wasn't long, only a few words.

_Absolutely brilliant. Annabeth's recording studio, tomorrow, noon._

Thalia gave a silent cheer and twisted a studded wristband. Friends in high places were definitely good when it came to your secret crush on a heavy-metal singer.

* * *

Nico and Bianca watched each other across the polished granite countertop. Neither moved a muscle. This was the sibling challenge- the staring contest to end all staring contests. According to Ethan, last time Nico had checked with him anyways, the two of them had been at it for eight hours and thirteen minutes. Nico picked up a piece of pizza, and, never breaking eye contact with Bianca, wolfed it down.

"You're going to lose, you know," she said, her voice perfectly even and threatening.

"I'd better not."

Nico's robotic vacuum whirred across the kitchen floor. Bianca tucked her legs up onto her stool, but she couldn't hide how startled she was. Nico didn't understand her pathological fear of robots- it was a pathological fear after all- but it most likely had something to do with a giant-sized automaton in that recurring dream Bianca had.

"For how long have you been staring?" Zoё Nightshade, the other female member of Planet Of Angels, asked. "Eight and some hours?"

Nico didn't even break Bianca's stare to make fun of Zoё's dialect this time. He just said, "I need a pillow for my elbows."

She snorted. "I will tell Ethan."

Nico and Bianca continued their staring contest. Zoё returned with Ethan, who had a pillow, and a bottle of black nail polish, which she started to paint onto Bianca's claw-like nails.

As Zoe was finishing her manicure, the vacuum cleaner touched Bianca's leg. She yelped and fell off her stool. Nico jumped up and yelled, "Victory!" Zoe barely rescued the nail polish from toppling and ruining the floor. Nico strolled to his bedroom and switched on the radio.

"And last but definitely not least," the announcer said, "Chasing Waves has composed another amazing song. Performed for the first time at her concert this evening, it looks promising enough to top Planet Of Angels' hit song Monster-"

Nico gave a derisive snort and turned off the radio. Gods damn the pop stars.

_Nobody _topped his songs.

Nobody.

"Ethan?" he called.

Ethan was at his door. "Yes, Sir Nicolas?"

Nico narrowed his eyes. "Don't call me that. I may need your help with a revenge plan in the future."

Ethan gave his best evil grin. "Well, you are in luck. I am excellent at revenge."


	3. Chapter 3

**The support I've gotten for this story… Wow. It's crazy. I never expected one of my stories to take off like this. Thanks to everyone for the reviews!**

**The disclaimer has already been written. I'm not going to write like 40 of them. You all know I don't own the book series.**

**I'm sincerely sorry for not updating sooner. I hope I don't sound like an excuse-making weenie, but I had finals to study for, and then I went camping.**

Minerva Chase did not approve of her daughter. She should have gotten a good college education. She should have been sitting in the classroom Minerva was about to enter. But instead, the girl had run away with that friend of hers and become famous. And for what? For money, Minerva supposed.

She hated capitalist society. It was her biggest pet peeve, and that was pretty big considering that Annabeth's fame was her second-biggest pet peeve.

Everyone shut up immediately as Minerva walked into the room. Her class had learned to watch her moods; if you pissed off the professor you'd get a bad grade for the day. Minerva loved this about teaching at Yale: the kids actually cared about their educations, because they'd spent tons of money to get into an Ivy League school and weren't about to go if they didn't want to succeed in life.

But Annabeth was going to Juilliard, just proof to Minerva that her daughter was headed for the dark side: art.

* * *

Thalia finished singing her song, and she gave Will the signal to stop the recording. He gave her the thumbs-up. Thalia nearly tripped over the floor, if that was even possible, in her hurry to get back out the door. Will poked around on the computer, then glanced at the sound board in front of him and played back Thalia's singing.

Thalia had thought she only sounded good because she was used to her own voice, but that wasn't the case.

She was quite the singer, even in the recording. She felt faint remembering that she had written and sung this song. Will tapped his chin and poked the keys of a synthesizer next to him.

Thalia made a face. "Can there be, like, guitar?"

Will shrugged. "I guess the song would sound good with anything. Can you play guitar?"

"Yes, Solace, I can play guitar," Thalia said, taking a shiny flying V off the wall behind them.

"Good. Because the guys from One Direction sure can't."

Thalia raised her eyebrows in silent agreement and hurried over to record a guitar part.

* * *

Reyna tugged the brush through her relentless black waves. If the two of them were supposed to meet Thalia at one o'clock for lunch, she had to look her best. She growled as she attacked an especially unforgiving snarl and thanked the gods her hair wasn't any curlier than it already was.

The doorbell rang and Reyna tightened her bathrobe tie. It was Annabeth.

"What do you want?"

Annabeth tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I apologize for being such a bitch at the restaurant last night. And also… your mom knows Poseidon, right? Because there was a guy that was with him last night. I want to find that guy."

"I don't talk to my mom much," Reyna said, "but yes, she knows him. She works on the same floor."

Annabeth nodded. "Alright. Anyways, I'll leave you to your getting ready. Are you going to lunch with Thalia and I?"

"Why else would I be up this early?" Reyna asked. She shut the door on Annabeth.

* * *

Nico finished spiking his hair just as Ethan wrenched the bathroom door open. "Dude!" he yelled. "You scared me!"

Ethan let out a rather twisted-sounding chuckle. "Aren't I just scary, though?"

"Rather scary indeed," Zoe said.

"Dude!" Ethan yelled, slamming the door in her face. "Use the other bathroom."

"The other one doesn't have a shower," Bianca said, barging into the bathroom and yanking the shower door open. "Now scram, boys."

Nico swore in Italian and stormed out of the bathroom. Ethan was waiting for him in the instrument room, and he plucked a few notes on his bass when Nico walked in.

"So what's the revenge plan?"

"We're going to remake 'Dream On,'" Ethan said, "and they'll have no choice but to put us back at the top."

The two exchanged evil grins.

* * *

Will pulled the disc from his computer and put it in a case. "I'll get this out on the wire. Trust me, it'll be a hit before you wake up on Wednesday morning."

"Thanks, Will," Thalia said.

"I know why you wrote it," he said. "It's because you want to marry Nico di Angelo."

"'Marry' is a bit strong for this case," Thalia said. "Perhaps 'date' would be better. And please don't tell Jason, or he'll take the initiative to date Piper."

"That could never end well," Will chuckled.

"Never," Thalia confirmed. "I'm rather concerned about him."

Will smiled. "Well, you've got a lunch meeting to get to, and I've got more recording appointments."

* * *

Reyna cursed as she tripped, nearly snapping her purple satin heel. Why did her life have to suck so much? Her self-proclaimed soul mate chose another girl over her, Annabeth had turned stone-cold, and now her favorite shoes had almost been wrecked.

Reyna didn't like Diamond. Not at all. Their music was too autotuned, and their musicians were twats. She couldn't stand the idea of Jason dating one of… _them._ It was sickening. Maybe she should have tried to get a job like her sister had instead of getting famous and having to deal with idiots. She pushed in the door of the expensive café and marched in on her heels, twirling the purple streak in her hair. Thalia, Annabeth, and Jason were already seated at a table for four.

"Stay out of her way today," Jason said to the others, "because she's in full bitch mode."

"That is _it!_" Reyna huffed, hearing Jason's whispered comment. "Why don't you just start going out with Piper? It is _over!_"

Annabeth's face was drawn into a melodramatic oh-em-geez shocked expression as Reyna turned on the spike of her heel and marched out of the café.

"Rey- wait!" Jason said, knocking Thalia's vanilla latte all over her shirt as he pushed his chair out. Reyna, however, was storming down the street, heels clack-clacking on the hot pavement as she pushed past people. She was a few blocks at most from the Empire State Building, which was good, because not only did she have an errand to run for Annabeth, but she _needed _to see her mom.

Her mom, Bellona or Bella for short, was a retired Army lieutenant who had later scored roles as the bad girl in action movies. Reyna didn't talk to Bella much, but she always seemed to help calm her daughter's moods.

Reyna huffed and stepped on the elevator, poking the button for her mother's floor. She growled at the irritating elevator music, but thankfully she was alone. She was only slightly less pissed as she stalked down the hall. Her heels accentuated every step, which was one of the reasons they were her favorite shoes. Her black dress pants and even her usually clingy purple satin blouse hung damp from Manhattan's humid summer air. She knocked twice on Bella's door, which opened rather quickly.

"What brings you, little praetor?"

"Mom!" Reyna protested at Bella's nickname for her. Growing up, the two of them had been obsessed with Ancient Rome, mainly because Bellona was the name of the Roman goddess of war. (Reyna wondered what in Pluto's realm her grandma was thinking when she named her kid that.) Even now, there was a gold engraving behind Bella's desk with the goddess's sword and torch on it. So Bella called Reyna 'little praetor' and Reyna's sister Hylla 'little Amazon.'

"Don't tell me," Bella guessed, omniscient grin coming over her face, "it's a certain boy."

"Yes, actually," Reyna said. "He wants to date Piper McLean."

Bella raised one eyebrow, scooting out Reyna's favorite chair- purple, of course, from under her desk. "Tristan McLean's daughter?"

"The very same," Reyna affirmed. "She shouldn't be famous. Just because she's got a famous dad-"

"Calm down, princess," Bella said, miraculously not sounding exasperated. "So Jason's dumping you for another girl, who just happens to be Tristan McLean's daughter, singer of 'Fashion' and former star of a childish Disney show."

"Yes," Reyna said, tapping Bella's desk with her purple fingernails.

"Her up against you," Bella said, "you, who are about to come out with a new album containing 'Brokenhearted' and 'Fly Away' and 'Thought I Knew You,' and the to-be star of an ABC Family series about a girl who has to save all of history? I'd say he's making the wrong choice."

Reyna smiled. "You know how to cool me down."

"I'm your mom."

* * *

"She looks pissed," Percy said, referring to the girl in purple who had just stormed by in the hall.

"Probably is," Poseidon replied, leaning back in his chair. "That's Bella Canina's daughter, Reyna. Female counterpart of the duet Golden Eagle."

"Am I just going to keep seeing these people?" Percy grumbled.

"It's what being well-known entitles," Poseidon said, spreading his arms. "If only Chasing Waves would fall for you."

"Maybe if I could do something other than look handsome and swim, she would."

"Then maybe we need to do something," Poseidon told Percy.

Percy didn't like the evil glint in his father's sea-green eyes.

* * *

Bianca protested as Zoe yanked the bucket of ice cream out of her hands.

"You cannot eat so much sugar!" Zoe chastised her friend. "You will get fat."

"Just shut up," Bianca grumbled. "What do you care if I get fat?"

"I don't," Zoe said. "But I'm sure your brother does. Or, maybe… _Wiiiiiiiill._"

"Zoe!" Bianca snapped. "Will and I may have been an item for a while, but we're over and done! Don't bring up his name!"

Zoe sniffed. "If you need me, I'm going for a girls' night out with Phoebe and I should get ready."

Bianca returned the sniff and snatched back her ice cream.

* * *

Silena neatly placed another pile of plates in the dishwasher just as her phone rang; set to Diamond's latest hit, _Call Me Maybe, _it was her favorite piece of technology. She checked the call_._

Drew, of all the frickin' people out there. Silena pressed the 'Reject Call' button. Silena despised her younger cousin. Drew Tanaka was the world's biggest, most spoiled brat. Her mom, Silena's aunt, was rich as hell, but she never gave a penny to Silena. Drew's dad was the founder of a computer company. He gave Silena new electronics whenever they came out, but that was the limit.

Silena herself had only a dad, and he sold chocolates in Grand Central Station with a woman named Sally and a teenage girl named Lou Ellen. She'd only been able to work in an upscale restaurant because she'd studied as hard as she could in school- and she was still a waitress. Silena was living proof that beauty can't do anything for you- a pretty face doesn't mean a pretty life. She had a little brother who needed taking care of too- Mitchell. And even though she loved Mitchell, a lot, he was a pain in the butt.

Her phone buzzed with a text. She checked it.

_Oh my gods,_ she immediately thought when she saw the number. _It's Beckendorf!_

She flipped open the phone and read the message.

_Meet me at the Russian place three doors down from your restaurant tomorrow night._

Silena had to hold her mouth shut to keep herself from squealing aloud.


End file.
